House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hosted a fundraiser last Thursday evening on behalf of Democratic House candidate John Delaney.

Delaney is challenging Rep. Roscoe Bartlett for Maryland's 6th district, and the Pelosi fundraiser is a sign of national Democrats' determination to take the seat. In redistricting, Democrats dismantled Bartlett's western Maryland district, adding liberal areas of the state around the Washington, D.C., suburbs that made re-election for the 10-term Congressman increasingly difficult.

That said, Bartlett has a rare across-the-aisle popularity among Democrats. Many state and national Democrats privately profess a personal affinity for him, but publicly, they are working overtime to help Delaney.

When asked about his opinion of Pelosi earlier this year, Bartlett described her as “a very nice socialist.”

The fundraiser took place at the Monocle restaurant on Capitol Hill. “Suggested Contributions” include three tiers: “host” at $2,500, “sponsor” at $1,000 and “guest” at $500.

In a tea-leaves reading of national Republican priorities, it is hard to detect much enthusiasm for Bartlett’s re-election bid. That said, Maryland Democrats say their biggest fear is super PAC intervention on his behalf.